Telepsychiatry and eHealth are evidence-based, cost-effective health care delivery methods that increase access to specialist care, particularly for rural and remote populations [1, 2, 3]. Yet, the penetrance of telepsychiatry is uneven and the health system organization to support it is generally underdeveloped [4].

Inadequate postgraduate training in telehealth and eHealth may contribute to this lag. Such training and exposure has the potential to increase interest and skills in telepsychiatry and normalize it as a modality of clinical care. Recent reviews describe the status of telepsychiatry in postgraduate training and highlight the scarcity of literature on the topic and the lack of evaluation of these training programs [ 5, 6, 7]. Building on these reviews, and a study assessing resident learning needs in telepsychiatry [8], frameworks have been proposed to delineate competencies in telepsychiatry and eHealth at different stages of training [8, 9, 10].

Disclosure of Funding

This clinical experience is intended to be a pragmatic introduction to the use of telepsychiatry in general practice, and to provide earlier exposure to residents to aspects of telepsychiatry, with a focus on what a generalist would need to know. Topics to address through the consultation experience will also be highlighted in core curriculum. The objectives of this experience are aligned with the CanMEDS roles, so any aspects of practice that address the roles (Medical Expert; Collaborator; Advocate; Scholar; Leader; Communicator; Professional) can be made explicit through demonstration and/or discussion (see Table below).

Objectives

1.

To provide early exposure to telepsychiatry during residency training, and to stimulate interest as a mode of practice.

2.

To introduce technical and clinical skills relevant for the use of telepsychiatry in general practice, and how these differ from the provision of face-to-face care

3.

To provide a perspective on telepsychiatry’s role in health systems, and community and population context